Knights tee off on Marshall

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UCF’s baseball team ended the season with a bang Sunday, hammering a team-record four solo homeruns in five at bats to down Marshall 8-1.

The Knights (36-20, 12-12) trounced the Thundering Herd (20-31, 7-17) for the final two games of the regular season.

And in a bizarre twist, the final game, which was the biggest blowout, was actually a comeback effort after Marshall jumped out 1-0 in the top of the first inning.

But after the Knights tied the score at the bottom of the first, the game was all UCF, as they launched into a trio of rallies in the middle innings to turn a tight game into a blowout.

Once again first baseman Jonathan Griffin was a star in the batter’s box, with two home runs in the game to bat in three runners, en route to a 2-4 performance.

The Knights teed off on Marshall pitching in the seventh inning, with four home runs in five at bats off two different pitchers. Darnell Sweeney hammered the second pitch of the inning over the right center field wall. Then Ronnie Richardson smacked his first pitch just left of the right field foul pole. After taking a few swings, Beau Taylor smashed a 2-2 pitch over the center field wall. Then Griffin went long over the left field fence on his first pitch.

In the last game of the season, Richardson and Sweeney both hit their first home runs.

Now after spending most of the season near the bottom of the Conference USA ladder, the Knights are in a three-way tie for fourth place heading into the C-USA championship.

For that they traveled to Pearl, Miss. at press time to face Memphis Wednesday night. They’ll take on UAB starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 26, then Rice at 1:30 p.m. Friday followed by a hopeful bid at the championship before the NCAA playoffs begin in June.